Chris Patten, Commissioner responsible for External Relations, stated: "The Summit comes at a time when Asia is well on the way to recovery from the crisis of 1997-98, and when the region's economic and political importance for the EU has never been greater. In the EU we are preparing for enlargement, and are taking on new responsibilities in the field of foreign policy and security, on the basis of an increasingly strong economy and the successful establishment of the euro, and an open single market.
Dans l'Union européenne, nous nous préparons à l'élargissement et assumons de nouvelles responsabilités dans les domaines de la politique étrangère et de la sécurité, forts d'une économie de plus en plus solide, du lancement réussi de l'Euro et d'un marché unique ouvert.